Safety device for repeating firearms



No. 776,322. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

L. L. HEPBURN.- V SAFETY DEVICE FOR RBPBATING FIREARMS.

APPLICATION FILED AR.1 1904.'

NO MODEL.

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No. 776,322. Patented November 29, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS. L. HEPBURN, OF NEVVHAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MARLIN FIREARMS COMPANY, OF HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A COR- PORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SAFETY DEVICE FOFI R EPEATING FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,322, dated November 29, 1904.

Application filed April 1, 1904. Serial No. 201,028- (No model.)

T all whom it y Concern: 16 is a hook carried by the inertia-piece, said Be it known that I, LEwIsL. HEPBURN, a parts 1a and 16 having slight independent citizen of the United States, residing at New swinging movement, for the purpose herein- Haven, in the county of New Haven, Stateof after described.- 16 is a spring'arranged to 5 Connecticut, have invented certain new and cause said hook to normally stand in the pouseful Improvements in Safety Devices for sition shown in Figs. 1 and 2 relatively to the Repeating Firearms, of which the following is said inertia piece. 17 is a shoulder on the 5 5 a full, clear, and exact description. locking-bolt 3, ,with which the hook 16 en- My invention relates to improvements in gages when the parts are locked. 18 is a IO repeating firearms. spring-pressed stud or detent having a bev My invention has for its object the improveeled end and-carried by the inertia-piece 14. ment of the safety device made the subject- 19 is ashoulder or abutment preferably having matter of my former patent, No. 662,427, one beveled face, said shoulder being formed dated November 27, 1900, in which patent I on the carriert and provided for the purpose.

5 have described my safety device as applied to hereinafter described. 20 is acast-oif device arepeating firearm constructed after the manby which the operator may manually release ner shown in my former patent, No. 528,905, the safety locking device whenever desired.

. dated November 6, 189 1. The operation of the parts above described In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is is substantially as follows: When the operator 20 a side elevation, partly in section, of the desires to use the firearm, he causes a loaded breech portion of a repeating. firearm shell to be introduced into the barrel, whereequipped with my improved safety device, the upon the breech-block 2 is advanced and the latter being shown in the locking position. locking-bolt 3 istilted to effectively prevent Fig. 2 is a similar view, the safety device bethe said breech-block from being moved back 5 ing shown in the unlocking position. Fig. 3 so long as it stands in a tilted position. When is a plan view of the cartridge-carrier and the the parts are thus arranged, the hammer 7 is safety locking device,s'aid parts being detached atLfull-cock, it being automatically set. When 7 5 from the balance of the mechanism of the gun. the hammer 7 is cocked, the firing-pin 8 stands Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the cartridge-c'arover the rear end of the locking-bolt 3, and

3 rier detached. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of prevents it from being tilted, and hence the the safety locking device detached and enfiring-pin constitutes the main locking device larged relatively to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is of the gun whichIam describing. When the a front elevation of the partsshown in Fig. 5. user pulls the trigger and the hammer springs Fig. 7 is a view of the opposite side of the forward and drives the firing-pin ahead 35 parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a rear eleagainst the cartridge, the latter should exvation of the parts shown in Fig. 6. plode, but if it should hang fire there is no Since I have shown my improved safety danger-of a premature unlocking of the gun, 8:, locking device in connection with the repeatbecause although the firing-pin has moved ing firearm made the subject-matter of my into a position in which the locking-bolt is 4 former patent, No. 528,905, I shall describe freed, so far as the main locking mechanism in general terms the parts which are in comis concerned, it is, nevertheless, effectively mon to both cases. held by the hook 16, which engages the shoul- 9o 1 is the receiver. 2 is a breech-block adaptder 17.- This safety locking device therefore ed to reciprocate in said receiver. 3 is a lockprevents anypremature unlocking of the gun.

45 ing-bolt. 4. is a carrier. 7 is a hammer. 8 is When the cartridge explodes, theinertia-piece a firing-pin. 14: is an inertia-piece. 15 is a 14 swings forward and if the shoulder 17 does spring arranged to normally move the inertianot bind the hook 16 the latter will also move piece into its locking position. (See Fig. 1.) ahead simultaneously with the inertia-piece 14. If, however, the shoulder-piece 17 should bind hook 16, the inertia-piece will start to move in advance of the hook l6 and will gain 1 a momentum suflicient to knock oif the hook when the wall at the rear of the recess in which the hook is carried hits against said hook. (See dotted lines, Fig. 5.) The safety locking device will then assume the position shown in Fig. 2, in which position the locking-bolt 3 is entirely free so that the breech mechanism may be opened. Obviously some suitable means should be provided for tem-' porarily holding the safety locking device in the position shown in Fig. 2, pending the extraction and ejection of the empty cartridgeshell. The means shown and described in this case correspond to the means shown and described in my former patent, No. 682,427. This means operates as follows: When the carrier stands in the elevated position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the spring-pressed detent 18 engages with the shoulder 19 on the carrier. As soon as the breech-block 2 is retracted the carrier 1 descends, removing the shoulder 19 from the detent l8, whereupon the safety locking device springs back to its normal position ready to engage the locking-bolt, when the breech mechanism is again closed and the locking-bolt tilted.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that ordinarily the safety locking device will act in a manner similar to that described in my former patent, o. 662, 1 .27; but in the event there should be anything tending to bind the hook 16 or hold it from a free swinging movement the inertia-piece is still free to swing ahead upon the recoil of the gun, so that it will acquire a momentum which will be sufficient to overcome any binding or frictional engagement of the hook and cast it oif.

In the construction referred to in my former patent, wherein the hook and the inertia-piece have no independent movement, it might happen that the hook might be frictionally engaged by the locking device to such an extent that the recoil would not be sufficient to dislodge the same, and hence although the cartridge might be discharged the gun would still be locked. In the use of my former device if this should occur the inertia-piece could be manually cast off; but in the present invention of course the possibility of this occurring is substantially, if not entirely, avoided. This is accomplished entirely by having this slight independent movement of the inertia-piece relatively to its hook.

What I claim is 1. In a firearm in combination, a frame, a movable breech-block, a locking-bolt therefor, an inertia-piece carried by the frame, a hook carried by the inertia-piece having limited independent movement relatively thereto and arranged to interlock with said locking-bolt and be disengaged therefrom by the recoil of the gun, a carrier and means on the carrier for retaining the inertia-piece after recoil.

2. In a firearm in combination, a frame, a movable breech-block, a locking-bolt therefor, an inertia-piece carried by the frame, a hook carried by the inertia-piece but having slight independent movement relatively thereto said hook interlocking with said locking-bolt and being disengaged therefrom by the recoil of the gun, a carrier, means on the carrier for retaining the inertia-piece after recoil, and means for returning said inertia-piece into engagement with the locking-bolt.

3. In a firearm in combination, a frame, a

l movable breech-block, a locking-bolt therefor,

an inertia-piece pivotally supported on the frame, a hook also pivotally supported on the frame and cooperating with the inertia-piece but having slight independent movement, a carrier and means on the carrier for temporarily retaining the inertia-piece after recoil.

4. In a firearm in combination, a frame, "a movable breech-block, a locking-bolt therefor, an inertia-piece carried by the frame, a hook separate from said inertia-piece but carried thereby and having slight independent movement relatively thereto said hook interlocking with said locking-bolt and disengaged therefrom by the recoil of the gun, a carrier and means for temporarily engaging the inertia-piece with the carrier after recoil said means comprising shoulders upon each of said parts one of said shoulders being yielding and spring-controlled.

Signed at New Haven, Connecticut, this 29th day of March, 1904.

- LEWIS L. HEPBURN. Witnesses:

MAHLoN H. MARLIN, .M. L. POST. 

